Melissa Rycroft was ultimately unable to keep Jason Mesnick's heart, however The Bachelor thirteenth-season star apparently thinks his former fiancee can claim the Dancing with the Stars crown.
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"I am so excited for Melissa," Mesnick told Extra in a Monday report. "I know she has danced her whole life and she must be excited for the opportunity. I hope and think she will win it all."
Rycroft, a 25-year-old sales representative and former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader from Dallas TX, recently decided to join Dancing with the Stars' upcoming eighth season as a last-minute replacement for injured Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell.
O'Dell and singer Jewel Kilcher were both forced to withdraw from Dancing with the Stars last week after sustaining serious injuries while training for the reality dance competition. Reports that The Girls Next Door star Holly Madison will replace Jewel have also been circulating.
Rycroft's Dancing with the Stars debut will come one week after her engagement to Mesnick -- which filmed last November -- aired on ABC at the conclusion of last Monday night's Final Rose Ceremony broadcast.
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However Mesnick later dumped Raycroft in favor of runner-up Molly Malaney during January's taping of the season's After the Final Rose special, which aired last Monday night following the finale.
Rycroft subsequently declined to participate in last month's filming of After the Final Rose, Part 2, a second special that provided an update on the status of Mesnick's new relationship with Malaney that aired last Tuesday night.
In addition, Rycroft also decided to pass on the chance to serve as the star of the fifth season of The Bachelorette, causing the role to go to second runner-up Jillian Harris instead.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio